Organizers of the Levitation Festival, slated to take place this weekend at Carson Creek Ranch in Austin, Texas, canceled the event on Thursday night due to the threat of dangerous weather. The event was slated to feature sets from Brian Wilson, Animal Collective, Courtney Barnett, Ween, Caribou, Flying Lotus, The Arcs, The Thurston Moore Group and dozens of others.
In a note posted on the event’s official site, organizers apologized for the last-minute notice, but said the situation was beyond their control.
“Due to safety concerns regarding dangerous weather, Levitation 2016 has been canceled. This decision is heartbreaking, but it’s a decision officials have made for the safety of festival attendees, and safety is our first priority,” read the note.
“We’ve been working with county officials trying to find a way to carry on, but at this point the decision has been made, and it is beyond our control. The cancellation is due to dangerous weather conditions in the forecast combined with weather complications to the grounds and the Colorado River.
“We are completely devastated. We have been working for a year, looking forward to this weekend and seeing you all at the ranch. We know that many of you traveled from far away, and that this news is extremely disappointing for everyone.”
We are sad to report that #Levitation2016 has been cancelled, due to weather. More info: https://t.co/xJJ5JBirsR pic.twitter.com/mPfeXbWpUh
— LEVITATION (@LEVITATION) April 28, 2016
Organizers noted that the 2015 edition of the event formerly known as Austin Psych Fest was also threatened by sever weather, but they were able to soldier on. This time, though, “the severity of the storms being predicted, including high wind, large hail and tornado warnings, combined with high water levels from last week’s flooding” made it unsafe to carry on as planned.
“We have tried every avenue to continue with the festival, and the county has been working with us to find a way, but today at 5:00 p.m. the final decision was made to cancel the festival due to public safety concerns related to severe weather.” The evacuation included loading out all staff and equipment, meaning that even if the weather cleared by Sunday it would be impossible to produce the event at the ranch.
Despite the cancelation, organizers said they would try their best to reschedule as many shows as possible at clubs in the area.
We’ll be working around the clock to book as many shows as we can at inside venues in downtown Austin this weekend, so stay tuned.
— LEVITATION (@LEVITATION) April 28, 2016